Case Number 21955: Small Claims Court

BRAVE NEW VOICES 2010

The Charge

Power, Youth, Emotion, Passion

The Case

It happens every year. Hundreds of students from around the country compete
in a large scale contest to determine who is the best. It could be in debate. It
could be in speech. Or in the case of slam poetry, it could be Brave New
Voices. The national event, gaining in popularity since its celebration on
HBO as part of Russell Simmons' ever-increasing media empire, is a worthwhile
endeavor. It gives individuals without another means of expressing themselves a
chance to be seen...and more importantly heard. Now, granted, this is not
anything new. The National Forensics League has been holding tournaments for
nearly 80 years, encompassing everything from current issues extemporaneous
speaking to acting interpretation. While mostly centered on argumentative
debate, the NFL (not to be confused with "you know who") has given
middle and high schoolers across the world a chance to speak and be appreciated.
So has the National Catholic Forensics League (which also holds a national
competition).

The Grand Slam Finals is a different beast all together -- something this 55
minute documentary fails to fully explain. There are local and regional
contests, with this film highlighting the four that made it to the top --
Denver, Albuquerque, California, and New York City. Sadly, we don't get the
typical behind the scenes set up for something this monumental (think David
LaChapelle's amazing krump doc Rize) and are only given glimpses of the coaches
and competitors before its poetry time. So what we have here is a celebration,
not a story. We don't get the struggle, we get the sonic word power present and
accounted for. As someone who has been involved in competitive speech and debate
for the last 20 years, this critic can sympathize with the situations we see.
These kids are pouring their hearts out, having feverishly worked for months to
get to this point. There is always going to be disappointment. Without context,
however, defeat fails to generate much emotional interest.

On the other hand, the lines and stanzas do. Yes, we are deep within cliched
content territory here. It's high school...and minorities...so we're going to
get big picture ideas (racism, the environment, crime) as well as subjects
hitting closer to home (gender bias, peer pressure, maturation and growing
pains). You can almost predict what each poem will be about by who is delivering
it. Call it "poetry profiling" and it's one of the downsides to any
such competition. Going with one's strengths and talking about what one knows is
always going to lead to archetypes and anachronisms. The good thing here is that
many of these young people recognize the routine and try desperately not to fall
into it. Granted, they hope their unconventional approach to the poetic form
will take up most of that slack, but once they break out of the mainstream mold,
they have some amazing things to say. Indeed, the best part of the Brave New
Voices experience is hearing something previously pat skewed in a new and
novel way. We might think we understand bigotry or abuse, but these kids
crystallize and then clarify even the most overdone ideas.

Hosted by Rosario Dawson and actor/rapper Common, Brave New Voices
2010 is an ever so slightly scattered experience. It's good, but you can see
where it could be great. You instantly fall for some of these performers while
wondering if there is life after the poetry slam. With judges such as Penn
Jillette, poet Mayda Del Valle, and musician Talib Kweli, the decisions are
definitely diverse and as per these kinds of things, you can't help rooting for
your favorites. Yet one also is aware of the vast distances it took to get to
this stage, and how some of those stories (albeit ones tinged with the sadness
of not succeeding) would be beneficial here as well. There is nothing wrong with
championing greatness, and Brave New Voices 2010 definitely does this.
But how one achieved said status is equally engaging. While not a documentary on
the drive and determination needed, we will gladly accept the well-spoken
results of same.

As for the DVD itself, HBO provides a nice 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen
image that is loaded with direct from video details. The colors are bright and
the overall image clear. As for the sound, the Dolby Digital Stereo mix keeps
the important part of the presentation -- the words and performance -- front and
solidly center. All the poetry comes across in a polished, pristine
presentation. In addition, the DVD has some important bonus features.
"Reflections of the Finals" gives the competitors a chance to speak a
bit more about making it to the Grand Slam. "Sacrificial Poems"
centers more on the writing process and what it takes to deliver a high powered
verbal presentation. Still, we want more. Luckily, HBO backed a seven-part
series for Simmons also entitled Brave New Voices. It gives us all the
backstage drama this otherwise fine Finals presentation misses.

The Verdict

Not guilty. A great look at how poetry and competition changes the lives of
youth.